


We Keep This Love in a Photograph

by VideoChild22



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-19 19:41:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17007969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VideoChild22/pseuds/VideoChild22
Summary: After perhaps the biggest fight of their relationship, Tessa made Mariah a scrapbook full of the selfies they've taken together. These are the stories behind the photos.





	1. That Time the Geese Chased Tessa

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first work on this platform and I'm excited to be starting off with a Teriah writing. This work will consist of a few chapters describing the background behind the photos in the scrapbook Tessa made. Thanks in advance for giving it a read :)

The success of GC Buzz has quickly made it the hottest show in Genoa City and a rising program throughout Wisconsin. The show’s popularity has often been credited to the “spunky redhead with the infectious smile and quips for days”. At least that’s what the bloggers and critics are saying. Mariah’s rise to daytime television fame is great in theory but, with the demanding schedule and the countless hours of studio time that needs to go into preparing for the show, Tessa hasn’t been able to take her girl out on a proper date in weeks.  


That is until finally one evening, as Tessa was getting ready to finish her shift at Crimson Lights, she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. Ecstatically she read a text from Mariah, she didn’t even need to read it before feeling total admiration for her girlfriend.

Mariah: “Good news! We prerecorded the show for tomorrow so looks like we have the whole day to ourselves ;)”  


Excitement quickly turned into contemplation, a day off was fairly rare for Mariah, did Tessa really just want to hang out at the ranch and watch movies all day? It was only just the beginning of fall and so the rooftop bar would still be open for a couple more weeks but what could the two of them do up there all day but drink mimosas and wine till they were inevitably cut off? Suddenly it was like a light bulb went off in her head when Tessa remembered the lake Mariah had mentioned she wanted to go to a while back. Typing in the name of the lake onto Google Maps, she saw that the directions said it was only about a thirty minute drive from Genoa City. The images showed the beautiful scenery of the place; giant trees covered the expanse of the sky and the rocky terrain near the water was surrounded by greenery and sunflower patches, presumably in the summer. Surely then the area would look just as gorgeous painted in autumn shades of yellow and orange. So it was settled, Tessa would surprise Mariah by taking her on an outdoor adventure.

Tessa: “I already have the perfect day planned. I’ll pick you up from the ranch at 9, make sure to dress warm cutie xo”  
****  
The next morning Tessa made sure to pack everything she could possibly imagine them needing for their day at the lake. Sunscreen, jackets, blankets, a back-up charger so she could take pictures on her phone, and the sandwiches and red wine (Mariah’s favorite) she placed in a basket for lunch. She figured they could have somewhat of a picnic while they were there too. Truthfully, Tessa was looking more forward to spending the day with Mariah seeing as she had never been the “outdoorsy” kind of woman that her girlfriend was. As a child her parents were never around enough to raise her and Crystal much less to take them fishing or hiking and so she had never connected with nature into adulthood either. If anything she just hoped she wouldn’t be attacked today by a vicious bear or some other animal like she’s seen documentaries about on the Discovery Channel.  


Tessa pulled up to the ranch at precisely 9:15, she knew Mariah was waiting inside to give her a playful earful about being late as she knocked on the door.

“I already thought I was being stood up! I was ready to curl up on the couch with some Nicholas Sparks movie and a tub of rocky road ice cream while I cry over the heartbreak caused by you”, Mariah teased with her hand over her heart as she opened the door. Although Tessa didn’t allow for her theatrics to continue much longer before connecting their lips both in attempt to get her to shut up and because she craved it since it had been a couple of days since she last kissed her.

“So are you going to tell me what exactly you have planned for this “perfect day” or are you going to make me guess?” Mariah asked as Tessa helped her put on her coat and grabbed her phone for her off the coffee table.

“Hmm” Tessa pretended to ponder. “I think its best that it’s for me to know and for you to find out”, making it quite clear that she would be giving away no answers.  


Mariah sighed in frustration and let Tessa start the car as she locked up the door to her house.  
****  
They had gotten to the lake quicker than the GPS estimated they would have, probably because the road was clear due to the uncommon lack of traffic. So far the weather was good too, there was only a slight breeze in the air and with the exception of a few stray clouds, the sun shone lustrously in the sky leaving the nearby water glistening. Best of all though, because it was a Tuesday morning there was hardly anyone around other than a couple of older folks. So far this really was shaping up to be the perfect day.

The girls had spent the morning just walking around the perimeter of the water. Tessa had stopped to pick a few sunflowers for Mariah who then did the same for her. Giggling, Tessa had insisted Mariah stand next to the patch of the wild flowers as she pulled out her phone to take a picture. She couldn’t help but smile at how beautiful her girlfriend was as she looked at the picture from her screen, everything from the brilliant color of her hair to the way the golden rays of light made her eyes look like pools of honey. She would have to post this picture when they got back to somewhere with Wi-Fi.

“Your turn!” Mariah pulled the raven-haired girl by the arm to the left of her as she took the phone from her other hand. Tessa was caught off guard by the photo but still managed to grin as Mariah placed a kiss on her cheek, the pose of her choice. The picture was adorable, but Tessa figured she was going to keep this one just for herself and Mariah.

The pair wouldn’t have even had any inclination it was noon if not for the sound of grumbling stomachs. The walk to the car was brisk, Tessa brought out the picnic basket and a blanket. There were some benches around the camping areas to sit on, but she figured eating lunch by the water was more scenic than around trash bins and parked RV’s. Settling down, Tessa poured a glass of wine for Mariah and grabbed the sandwich wrapped in tinfoil she made specifically for her, since she knew her girlfriend couldn’t stand eating the same cheese that she had made her sandwich with.

“Cheese isn’t supposed to be wrapped in plastic okay it’s against the laws of nature. Chips, Oreos, some packaged meats, fine. Cheese no.” Mariah felt the need to defend herself from the merciless teasing her girl was inflicting upon her.

“Oh, come on babe, are you really going to be afraid of such a minor thing that you wouldn’t even give it a try? The Porter personal philosophy is to be fearless. To survive in this world, you gotta run towards your fears, not from them.” Tessa playfully scolded Mariah unaware of the incoming danger flying in from behind their picnic spot.

It wasn’t until Tessa heard a loud honk from behind her that the girls noticed a small flock of about five geese were closing in on them, most likely because they were attracted to the food. Before they could even properly react, Tessa was on her feet, the geese somehow choose to target her, and they showed no sign of leaving any time soon. Still holding her sandwich Tessa’s next reaction was to run, which translated into her fleeing in a circle around the picnic area while begging Mariah for help.

“Mariah do something! No get away from me!”, frantically calling out as she tried to get the geese to leave her alone. Mariah couldn’t think of anything quicker than to rip apart a piece of her sandwich and toss it far away from where the two were sitting. Almost immediately the flock stopped chasing Tessa and flew to the spot where the food landed. Red faced and breathing heavily she sat back down on the blanket and began putting the remaining traces of food back into the basket. Mariah hadn’t considered how hilarious the ordeal was until it was over, sure the geese were persistent, but she doubted they would have seriously maimed her. She tried holding in any sign that the situation was humorous, but she failed miserably and let out a loud cackle, much to Tessa’s annoyance.

“How it this funny?! Those geese scared the crap out of me and you think this is a joke!” reprimanding her girlfriend. “Let’s just finish eating in the car, or at least away from the damn birds!”, Tessa angrily finished packing the picnicking supplies. Once in the car, Mariah was finally able to subdue her laughter.

“Aw love, I’m sorry I laughed at you. Honestly if it was me, I probably would’ve done the same thing except I would’ve tripped and landed face first in the dirt. I am hell on heels, faceplant Mariah after all.” trying to ease the other girl’s embarrassment. It must have worked because she let out a small chuckle.

“Okay yeah I guess it’s pretty funny when you put it that way”, Tessa now had a slight grin. “I’m just pissed because I wanted your one day off the be perfect. It basically was before the stupid birds ruined lunch.”

“Not every day is going to be perfect. But I can promise you that I cherish every single one I spend with you. Geese included” Mariah reassuringly kissed her cheek. “How about we ditch this place and head back to the GCAC to compensate for the lost lunch?” And with that the pair drove back to town.


	2. That Time Outside the Movie Theater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The picture they took outside the movie theater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The way I have the chapters planned out, the general time switches between when they were still pinning/to when they're in a relationship so there's really not a particular order so just a heads up on that. Thanks again!

It was the middle of April, meaning that the Genoa City would be a bit more populated than any other week. Every year, the city hosted a “Spring Festivities” event to try and convince young college students to spend some money in town while they were passing through to get to Chicago for spring break. Usually this just meant that the local bars and restaurants offered modest discounts along with some kooky theme to go along with it like country karaoke night at the GCAC but, the movie theatre was having a half-priced showing of the Heathers for 80’s night and Tessa practically begged Mariah to go. She had already seen it a couple of times, but she knew it was Tessa’s favorite movie; coincidently, even when they first met she had always reminded Mariah of Veronica Sawyer but she could never quite figure out why.

Mariah agreed to go with Tessa because she genuinely enjoyed hanging out with her but, with a bit of reluctance considering where the two of them were at in their complicated friendship. Tessa and Noah broke up a while back but things between the two women were still on the vast edge of platonic. She had already gotten the hint that Tessa wasn’t interested in her romantically after she failed to take anything further after Noah read the journal. Although Mariah figured it was partially her fault for telling her there was nothing left to make a relationship from at the coffee shop. But still, Mariah had kept fighting all this time as Tessa constantly pushed her away so surely she must know that those words were only said in the heat of the moment and had no meaning. She would know the feelings would have been shared between both of them, right? Still, Mariah couldn’t help but brood over all the seemingly mixed signals she’s been receiving. The way Tessa’s eyes almost never broke contact with hers, the way she pouted her lips around her, and all the times she placed a delicate touch on the top of her hand or tucked the red hair from her face behind her ear when they were laughing together. Mariah was confused. Regardless though she figured pushing Tessa to clarify her intentions could ultimately do more damage than good. She knew she needed Tessa in her life and so if it was through friendship or something else, she would rather have her in pieces than not at all.  
  
****

The movie started at 8, but Mariah always liked to be early to events and this one was no different, figuring the time it takes to drive to the theatre, standing in line for tickets and the concession, and then still allotting time to watch the previews, they would need to be at the theatre by at least 7:30. She knew there was no way Tessa would meet her at the theatre by that time, the woman could never be on time to anything even if it was her own wedding so Mariah had already planned to pick her up.

Mariah: “Hey! Guess who’s walking to the car right now and will be at your place to pick you up in 15?!” sending a second text after the first “I’ll give you a hint…it’s me so you better be ready ;)”

Frantically Tessa read the message and almost threw her phone halfway across the room to finish getting ready, she was mid-way through watching a makeup tutorial to go with her red lipstick. Mariah had told her that the color looked good on her so of course she would wear it again to get her attention considering the redhead had failed to pick up on all her other signals so far. She tried not to be too obvious with her attempts, unsure of whether Mariah even still would want to be with her after she publicly rejected her at the coffee shop or if she just needed to take things slowly. Either ways, she couldn't blame Mariah after she had spent practically the last year pushing her away. 

Tessa had just finished putting on her other boot when she heard honking outside the apartment and looked through the window to confirm it was Mariah’s car, she rushed down the stairs and got in.  
  
****

Walking out the theatre the girls pulled out their phones to check the time, the contrast from the dark room to the bright light of their screens causing them to squint. 

“Ugh, my phone’s dead” Tessa peered over to get a peek at Mariah’s screen. 

Quickly remembering she had set the picture her and Tessa took at the music festival in San Francisco as her lock screen a few weeks ago she pulled her phone quickly back into her pocket. “Huh, funny how I recall someone “borrowing” my spare charger and not returning it. If only that person I don’t know, used it to charge their phone…” sarcastically teasing her.

“Well maybe if someone wanted to go to the movies at a normal time instead of an hour before the thing even started…” Tessa playfully quipped back while smirking at Mariah. At this point she was accustomed to playing off the woman’s banter.

The two walked out the street to music and commotion, the origin probably being the bar next door. The big light up sign next to the building saying “College students with ID buy one get one free beer!” giving away who the most likely culprit causing the ruckus was. Both women only in their 20’s but still knowing the fraternity lifestyle was behind their years, wanted to get to the car as quickly as possible. With Mariah leading the way they had only managed to gain a couple steps before a group of hollering, and most likely intoxicated, spring breakers cut them off on the sidewalk. 

“You guys ready to party?!” one of party goers shouted at the girls while another one took the big pink party hat from their head and placed it on top of Mariah’s shouting “Spring break!”. 

Caught off guard in the commotion of it all Mariah tried explaining, “Wait no. We’re not-“but was cut off midsentence as the group continued chanting and howling. “Okay...” Mariah awkwardly concluded as the group continued bouncing away down the block. 

Turning to Tessa with a look of disgust, “There’s sweat on this hat and I don’t think it’s mine…” 

“Well on the bright side, at least you look cute in it”, Tessa hadn’t even considered how blatantly obvious it was that she was flirting and while both of them were still slightly in disbelief over the events that just occurred, the statement caused both of them to chuckle. 

“I know that it’s probably disgusting under that thing but come on this is too good of a story for us not to take picture right now” Tessa tried compromising “I’ll even make a dorky face to make it clear that this is all a big joke” adding “Come on! Think of what we’ll tell our kids”. As soon as the joke left her mouth she instantly regretted it, she couldn't believe how obvious she was flirting by basically stating her and Mariah were going to have children together..."Stupid", she thought to herself. 

Mariah agreed after the bit of convincing, grabbing Tessa by the arm to shimmy under the marquee for the additional lighting. Pulling out her phone once again she turned the front camera on as Tessa leaned next to her, sticking her tongue out and winking for the picture. 

“That’s a keeper. You’ll have to send it to me later” Tessa adorned, holding the bottom of the phone. 

“Yeah sure, in the meantime how about I just post it and tag you?” Mariah asked while opening Instagram, Tessa agreed. She captioned the picture “Spring Break 2018!” while making sure to tag Tessa’s handle. Both of them continuing to laugh at how ridiculous the whole thing was. 

In the thrill of the moment Mariah made sure her phone was secure in her pocket before taking the hat off her head and playfully throwing it on top of Tessa’s jet black hair, causing her to squeal. The excitement nearly causing her to trip over herself but Mariah quickly caught the girl by the midsection as the two now paused to catch their breaths. 

Breathing heavily, they were completely entranced in each other. Welcoming amber and enthralling green eyes stayed interlocked with each other and it was as if the rest of the world froze, leaving Mariah and Tessa the only two people in existence. Both of them could knew within their souls that they could stay trapped like this for an eternity… They totally would’ve if not for another round of rowdy bar patrons breaking them from their trance and bringing them back down to Earth. 

“Uh I guess it’s getting pretty late and I know we both have work tomorrow. We should probably head back to the car” Mariah broke the silence between the two. Tessa nodded as they ventured off the sidewalk. 

While the evening didn't exactly lead to a Hallmark movie kiss, it did leave both women with the inclination that there was still a spark shared between them. Even if it would take a bit more time, there was definitely hope still that they would make it out of this long and complicated affair together. Getting into the car Mariah and Tessa couldn’t help but to both think “Thank God for Spring Break”.


	3. That Time at the Bachelorette Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one they took at Sharon's bachelorette party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is probably my favorite so far. Although they didn't mention this picture in the scrapbook Tessa put it on the cover so I'm guessing it's her favorite too. Also it's the only picture from the book that exists irl (it's on the Y&R Instagram page).

As the maid of honor, Mariah knew that she would have a lot of responsibility in making sure the wedding and every detail in between went off without a hitch. She never figured though that she would feel this much pressure to put together the perfect bachelorette party. She went into the day of the party thinking she had everything; party bus _check_ , sashes _check_ , plenty of booze to pass around before getting to the rooftop _check_. But she was not prepared for all the twists and turns this evening was going to bring.

****

It was halfway through the party, Sharon had the burden of JT’s murder heavily on her mind, but she didn’t want her daughter to feel as if her somber mood had anything to do with all the work she had put into tonight's event.

“Mariah, thank you so much for putting all this together. I’m having a blast." Sharon mentioned to her daughter. “You and Tessa should come take a picture with me and Nick. You both look so gorgeous tonight”. Mariah thanked her mother and went to grab Tessa from the bar while Sharon flagged down a waiter to take the photo using her phone.

Nick and Sharon stood chest to chest turning sideways to look at the camera. Mariah and Tessa posed similarly while resting one hand on each other’s lower back as Sharon held onto Tessa’s other free one.

“Oh this is a good one! I’m sending it to you right now” already sending the message to her daughter. Mariah saved two copies of the picture on her camera roll before cropping one of the photos, creating a picture of just her and Tessa.

“I think that’s the cutest one we’ve ever taken." Tessa looking over Mariah's shoulder at the phone as Sharon and Nick had already wandered off. 

With the party winding down and only a few minor hitches occurring, Mariah was just glad it was almost all over. Tomorrow her mother would be marrying the man she was destined to be with and her and Tessa were finally getting a chance to be together, after so much time going back and forth between each other and denying their hearts of what they longed for, it was a new beginning. Mariah and the people she loved were finally getting their chance to be happy.

****

It was an hour later. Sharon was nowhere to be found and Mariah had just overheard the news that her mother’s fiancée Nick and his old flame Phyllis had spent an evening with each other. An evening that was now threatening to dismantle any future the two on and off lovers had planned together. The wedding was tomorrow and now Mariah felt as if the entire weight of the world was threatening to crush her.

“What do I do? Do I stop my mother’s wedding?” Mariah looked to Tessa for answers and comfort. She was scared, and Tessa knew it by the look on her face now. She’s seen this expression on the woman she loves too many times before to count.

“I know that it would be impossible for me to ask you not to think about it right now, but I promise you tomorrow morning we can go to Sharon or look for more information. Whatever you want to do I will be right there with you every step of the way. But, for right now- “Tessa shifted closer to Mariah placing a gentle hand on her cheek, “I don’t want you to feel like this is your responsibility. Whatever happens… it’s on Nick and Phyllis not you.” Breaking her view from her girlfriend she glanced around the expanse of the rooftop. You’ve worked so hard to put all this together. You deserve to enjoy some of it…and take care of you for a while.”

Tessa kissed her delicately before excusing herself to the restroom, assuring her girlfriend she would return shortly. She knew there was no way Mariah would be able to concentrate on anything else, not while her mother’s future hung in the balance, but Tessa needed to find a way to help her ease the burden she must’ve been feeling. Even if it was just until they could both handle it in the morning.

****

The last of the guests had cleared from the rooftop as well as the other patrons, signaling to the pair that it was time to head out. Mariah was gathering her keys when the manager of the venue approached her.

“It was really generous of you two to volunteer to clean up. I already sent home the staff and I’ll still be here for a while, so I can lock up when you’re done here”

“Wait, what? I didn’t volunteer to do anything” Mariah spoke with a hint of confusion.

“Oh, some woman called me from my office phone and told me the maid of honor and her plus one would be doing the cleanup. I assume that would mean you two, right?” the manager asked pointing at the sashes Mariah and Tessa were still wearing.

“Okay hold on. Who called you? Because I can guarantee you it wasn’t me!” Mariah now had a hint of frustration in her voice.

“I don’t know ma'am, she didn’t leave a name but uh, I have a lot of paperwork to do. Thanks again though.” the manager scurried inside leaving the women alone on the rooftop. Mariah huffed and began collecting empty bottles from a nearby table.

“I bet it was Summer. She was being so civil tonight, like actually pleasant to be around and then I overhear her accusing… or confessing about Nick and Phyllis. Maybe this is all just a big stunt to get my guard down.” Mariah tried ranting to Tessa who she assumed was still on her side. Tessa however had walked over to the vacant DJ booth and plugged her phone into the auxiliary cord. She knew Mariah’s mind must have been spiraling around the situation but she was determined to help ease those thoughts even if only temporarily.

“Well look at it on the brightside babe, at least now we have all night on this rooftop to do whatever we want. Just the two of us.” Tessa walked towards Mariah as _Happiness_ by Rex Orange County slowly began playing through large audio speakers.

“Tessa what are you-? “Mariah wasn’t given the chance to finish her question before she felt a pair of soft hands grab hers, allowing for her to drop the bottles she had been collecting. They began pulling her towards the center of where the dancefloor was located.

“You said that if you weren’t so busy with your maid of honor duties that we would have danced the entire night away. I think you even said that you’d sweep me off my feet so I‘m taking you up on that offer.” Tessa looked so gently into Mariah’s eyes that she swore she could swoon.

“And you must’ve missed the sarcasm because I also told you that I might as well have two left feet. I would’ve embarrassed us in front of all these people if I tried to waltz with you.” Mariah spoke in Tessa’s ear as she pulled the redhead to her chest.

“Shh. Hillary was right… you talk too much.” Tessa teased as the two began to sway softly to the beat of the music.

Mariah placed her chin on Tessa’s shoulder, feeling the weight of all her thoughts being supported. She might have wanted in that moment to simply float away if it wasn’t for the sound of Tessa’s voice faintly beginning to sing along with the lyrics of the song. Tessa’s voice was her favorite sound in the world, and whenever she sang, Mariah was always hooked on every word.

Several songs later, as the music picked up pace, Tessa extended Mariah outward. She maintained her grasp on only one of her hands while motioning for Mariah to move clockwise. With precision, Tessa supported her through an elegant twirl. Longing to have her back in her arms Tessa pulled her back hastily. Perhaps even too hastily as Mariah stumbled a bit while falling back into her embrace.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry! Did I step on you?” her immediate concern being whether she had just stomped on Tessa with a four-inch spiked heel. “I told you I was terrible at dancing.” she averted her eyes from Tessa’s, glancing at the ground. She was visibly embarrassed.

“No. No don’t even worry about it.” Tessa brushed it off. Honestly, she was so in love Mariah that at this point she could hit her with a car and Tessa would thank her. She placed both hands now on Mariah’s face, forcing her to look up at her. “And you don’t need to apologize or feel sorry about anything having to do with who you are. Even if it’s because you think you’re a clumsy dancer…which you’re not.” Causing both girls to laugh slightly. “You’re perfect just the way you are.” using her grasp on Mariah’s face, she pulled her into a kiss. Both women disconnected after what felt like an eternity, but in reality, was only a just short of a minute.

“How perfect can I be if I’m about to break Sharon’s heart either ways. If I don’t tell her I’m lying to my own mother…and if I tell her I can ruin the life she was planning with the man she’s in love with?”

A tear quickly fell onto Mariah’s cheek, all the emotions from the night were finally coming to the forefront. She tried willing herself to hold in the physical evidence of what she was feeling inside, and usually she was skilled at doing so. She had always been able to hide her heart so easily around everyone she knew before. But not with Tessa. No one has ever touched Mariah’s soul like Tessa had. One tear quickly turned into a waterfall, as the other raven-haired woman wiped quickly at her cheeks with her thumbs. When that no longer worked at subduing her cries, she placed a delicate kiss to Mariah’s forehead before bringing her flush against her chest, allowing her to let all her emotions flow freely. Several minutes later, after Mariah’s cries had been subdued, Tessa broke the silence between the two.

“I love you so much” looking down as Mariah slowly pulled from her embrace, “and I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have such a selfless, caring, and kindhearted woman to call mine.” Mariah looked at her now with the fullest of heart eyes. “You don’t deserve to be put in this situation, but I can promise you that Sharon would never blame you for any of this.”

“How are you always the most sensible one? Or prettiest person I’ve ever seen wearing basically just zippers." Mariah giggled while tugging at the fabric of Tessa’s dress. Humor was her coping mechanism. She knew she truly wouldn’t feel okay until this whole situation was over but, in the meantime, she knew she had Tessa to help her through it.

“How about we finish cleaning up and then I'll take you home to get some rest?” Tessa smiled endearingly.

The pair got to work picking up the remaining bottles and trash. With the two of them both working at it, they had finished in only about half an hour. Collecting their belongings, they descended down the elevator.

“Oh, and by the way” Mariah grabbed Tessa’s hand." I had fun dancing with you on the rooftop tonight and if it wasn’t for the emotional turmoil, I’d say it was one of the best bachelorette parties I’ve ever been to…or hosted”. But she was still slightly irritated at the fact that were stuck on clean-up duty. “I’m still going to wring Summer’s neck tomorrow though for volunteering us to do that.”

“Uhm…about that…” Tessa almost didn’t want to continue her confession.

Mariah couldn’t possibly be mad at her girlfriend for trying to make a romantic gesture to help her de-stress. Right?


	4. That Time in San Francisco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one they took at their first big concert together. The music festival in San Francisco.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last picture that was mentioned in the scrapbook. This is the last backstory (there is a short conclusion chapter following this one) and as we all know, San Fran was the start of a whole lot of messiness for our girls. That being said, this chapter is about 80% angst and a lot of insight as to what they were thinking on this trip.

A few hours ago, Mariah had woken up next to Devon in their hotel room. He kissed her in the morning light, told her she was beautiful, he even said he was glad that they came on this trip. Mariah had looked directly into his eyes and convinced him that the she was ready to grow closer…that the person she wanted to be with the most was already right there beside her. Well that was then, and now she had her lips connected with Tessa’s. Her hands resting on her cheeks and her breath, the same one she had shared with Devon right before he had walked out the door, now intertwined with Tessa’s.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know where that came from I- please don’t be upset,” she couldn’t believe she had just done that. Acted so impulsively and kissed her brother’s girlfriend. Apologies playing from her mouth like a broken record. But was she truly sorry that it happened, or was she sorry it was under these circumstances?

“I think we both got a little carried away.” Tessa was holding her hands. She tried to assure Mariah that the kiss they just shared was a result of anything else; the city, the alcohol, the excitement of the festival. Anything other than the spark the two of them shared.

Both women caught in the middle of a complicated situation that they knew was bound to change the courses of their lives but neither finding the courage to state the obvious. Before they even had time to fully process what had happened Devon and Noah returned from their meeting and were ready to enjoy the last night of the festival with their girlfriends. Devon had wanted a limo to take the four of them to the music festival, but Mariah could hardly bear to look at Tessa right now. They had just agreed to lock their kiss away in a vault and to never bring it up again, so she had no idea why she could no longer concentrate on anyone else in the room. The entire world.

“Why don’t we just take separate cabs? Maybe we can just show up and pretend to be normal adults having fun,” she placed her hand on Devon’s shoulder “Adults that aren’t hanging out with a billionaire.” She kissed his cheek and smiled to act as if it didn’t feel numb.

The whole car ride, Mariah just sat and stared out the window. Devon was holding her hand, but the touch of softer ones still lingered on her skin.

****

“Tessa, I think we should take a picture of you here at the festival for social media. That way you can get some promotion and a fanbase going.” Devon had been in business mode this whole trip, assuming that was the sole reason his girlfriend had invited the upcoming singer and Noah in the first place.

“Yeah sure,” she handed Devon her phone.

“Can Mariah get in it too though, I really hate taking pictures alone?” Her hand already lingering at the sleeve of Mariah’s dress.

Mariah couldn’t protest, even though she wanted nothing more. In preparation for the picture Mariah stood next to Tessa, barely touching or making contact, hoping the other woman would follow suit. Tessa however placed her hand around her shoulder forcing their heads together and entangling shades of red and black hair. The scent of Tessa’s perfume filling Mariah’s nostrils as the two smiled and took the photo.

Taking her phone back from Devon, Tessa posted the picture on Instagram captioning it “Fun times at the San Francisco music festival with some great friends!” showing Mariah the finished post.

 _“Ha… friends,”_ Mariah’s inner monologue was slowly becoming louder than a whisper in her head.

Earlier in the day Mariah had planned on seeing some Norwegian punk band alone with Tessa but now she insisted her and Devon stick together while Noah took the raven-haired woman hoping they would go as far away as possible. That would have worked if it hadn’t been for Devon’s phone vibrating in his back pocket. He got a text from Kirk; the same booking manager Noah and he had a meeting with earlier that day.

“Hey Noah, it’s Kirk. He wants for both of us to meet him in section D to check out some indie pop singer. He thinks that kind of performing style would work perfectly for Tessa.” Turning to Mariah and Tessa, “Ladies I apologize. Mariah, I know you wanted to hang out with just the two of us, but I promise this shouldn’t take all night. In the meantime, why don’t you and Tessa go check out the punk band you had mentioned earlier.”

With that the men were off, and now Mariah would have to find a way to conceal her emotions around the woman who was the source of them.

“So, I guess we should go find a place to stand over in B.” Tessa half-heartedly smiled at Mariah, knowing the other woman probably wanted nothing to do with her now. “Unless you want to go see something else? I’d say we could split up but there’s a lot of people here and I want to make sure you’re safe…I mean these things can turn into mosh pits, you wouldn’t want to get caught in that.” She tried joking a bit to ease the tension.

The two walked over to the performance area but with the set just starting they got stuck behind a large group of people. Within a few minutes the music was picking up, but Mariah couldn’t see too much of the stage in front of her as the person standing in front of her was of much taller stature.

Noticing Mariah bobbing her head, Tessa saw another opportunity to converse with her, “Hey, can you see anything?” she spoke into her ear to bypass the noise around them.

“Uh no, unless you can count seeing a sweaty back as a view.” Mariah answered, she couldn’t give Tessa the silent treatment all night.

“Well if you want, I’m 5’8”. You can just plop right on my shoulders and I’ll hoist you up.” Tessa managed to make the both laugh this time.

 _“Dammit, she’s funny.”_ Mariah cursed at herself for letting Tessa crack the stoic wall she was trying to build around her heart.

Figuring that plan wouldn’t work, Tessa nudged Mariah’s elbow as she stood directly next to the taller person blocking her view. Picking up on the chorus of the song Tessa belted out the lyrics loudly, making sure the true beauty of her singing voice was concealed behind off-key notes and purposefully wrong pitch. She was somewhat embarrassed to be singing this badly on purpose.

The person in front of Mariah looked visibly annoyed with the sudden noise directed in his ear and shuffled over enough for her to see the stage. In that moment Mariah was able to forget about the kiss that happened earlier. She couldn’t even hear the music, the only sound running through her mind was the laughter of the woman beside her. _“How could I be mad at her? She didn’t do anything and all she’s been is a great friend. She has Noah and I have Devon so what’s my issue?”_ Mariah allowed herself to have fun with Tessa as the two of them danced to the beat of the music.

With the festival over the four adults arrived back to the hotel. Before splitting ways, Tessa pulled Mariah into a hug, entrapping her fingers into wavy red hair.

“Thank you so much for inviting me. I’ve had an amazing time.” Tessa spoke genuinely before pulling away to look into her eyes “I’ll see you in the morning.” She smiled gently at Mariah trying to hide the true meaning of her words while also hoping she knew what she was implying.

The couples parted ways to continue the evening in their respective rooms…alone.

****

Mariah delicately shifted from the bed, trying to be quiet as to not wake up the man sleeping on the other side of the bed. She grabbed one of his t-shirts from off the floor and walked towards the restroom. Waiting till after the door was fully closed, she turned on the lights and slowly crumpled to the floor.

She had managed to pretend to be okay for most of the day, but now that she was finally alone with her thoughts she succumbed to the whirlwind of fear, confusion, anger, and desire that had been trying to claw their way to the surface since Tessa had come to town and stolen her heart. Fear from what Noah would think of her knowing she had feelings for his girlfriend, after all the misery women before Tessa put him through. Confusion as to how this happened in the first place? Mariah was never sure if she felt love before but now in the presence of Tessa, she was sure she had. She knew it was irrational to be angry at anyone in this situation considering the heart can’t help what it wants but still, she was angry at Tessa for being so incredible and supporting her in a way that no one ever had before, it was the whole reason Mariah had fallen for her. Mostly though she was angry at herself, she blamed herself for not being able to love Devon enough to give her entire heart to him. Devon was an incredible man so why couldn’t Mariah just love him? Why couldn’t she just make it work?

Mariah pushed herself off the floor briefly to grab a towel from the sink to suffocate the sound made from her screaming and sobbing. If she woke up Devon, she knew he would want to ask her what’s going on. She would just need to keep lying.

She got out of a cult, found her birth mother, made a life for herself in Genoa City…she was supposed to be happy now. She didn’t know why then she was sitting here wishing she had a different life. Images playing in her mind of Tessa rushing in to hold her, to whisk her away and tell her everything was alright. They would do all the things Mariah had fantasized about couples doing; they would go to the movies and share a bucket of popcorn, they would drive to that one lake Mariah had always wanted to visit…the one with the sunflowers, they would slow dance to some cheesy love song at some stupid party. There would be no more mistakes or slip-ups. Tessa would be the one, and together they might go through tough times or mistakes, every couple did. But together they would be happy.

But that was in another reality. Right now, Mariah was crumpled on the floor aching to hold the raven-haired woman in the room across the hall with her brother. The woman who she figured, would never be hers.

*****

Tessa shifted to her side so that she was facing the door, now certain that Noah was asleep. She had feigned sleep until she was certain he was out. The room was dark, the only light creeping through the room came from the hallway, the idea that Mariah right across gave her some solace but also reminded her of the mess of a situation she had created. Noah breathed heavily in his sleep, but the only sound Tessa could hear was the sound of her own thoughts. How could this have happened? Mariah, the sweet and gentle redhead wasn’t supposed to fall for a callous con artist.

Tessa had picked her target long ago, Noah Newman was kin to the richest family in Genoa City. The plan was to come to town, spend a couple of years with the guy, marry him, and then drift apart till an eventual divorce ensued. She would get at least half if not a considerable payout from him. She daydreamed about the giant house she was going to buy in Chicago that her and her sister were going to live in; there would be enough security and cameras to prevent their abusive parents from ever harming them again.

The cracks in her plan began forming when she watched a viral video on Youtube, “ _GC  Buzz Host Mariah Copeland Takes a Plunge on Live TV_ ”, figuring watching the show could constitute research. Instantly Tessa was taken aback by her beauty, she watched the video a thousand times but could only watch the full clip once because she couldn’t bear to see the woman faceplant anymore than that. It wasn’t until she dug in Noah Newman’s social media that she discovered she was his sister. She wondered if she should change her plans and find a new target. Would she be able to control herself around the woman? Still though she carried on.

Tessa willed herself not to cry as to not wake up Noah. Also figuring she had no right to cry…why should she feel sorry for herself when her selfishness is the cause of all this heartache. She saw what she was doing to Mariah as she could practically see all the fear resonating behind her eyes. The way she kept apologizing for the kiss, all the unsureness she was probably feeling. Tessa couldn’t stand the idea that Mariah might think she wasn’t attracted to her for any reason because that was so far from the truth. Mariah made her feel things and open in ways that she never believed could be possible. Her entire life had been surrounded by pain and hardship, so much so that she never really thought the world could be anything else but miserable. Then Mariah stepped in and made everything bright.

 _“Selfish”_ Tessa thought to herself as she recalled how even when she knew she was in love with Mariah, she chose to stick around and pretend to be her friend, only thinking of herself and how she just wanted to keep Mariah close to her. She should have never gotten so close knowing how she felt about her. Although she truly did never expect for Mariah to fall for her as well. When Tessa browsed her social media and saw pictures of her and Devon, she figured the woman would hardly even notice her. Yet here they are, Tessa is pretending to be in love with a man while craving his sister who just so happens to want her too.

She would want nothing more than to take Mariah in her arms and hold her there forever but how could she trade her sister’s safety for her own happiness? Letting Crystal waste away at home all because she wanted to go after her own desires would make her as cruel as her parents. She loved Mariah but, she loved Crystal too and she needed to come first. She was the sole reason Tessa was in Genoa City.

Tessa knew she needed to keep Mariah away because although she hated the idea of hurting her, she knew it would only be temporary. Mariah was an amazing woman with an incredible soul. If it wasn’t her or even Devon, she would find someone else to give her love to. Someone who deserved it…not like herself. Mariah would eventually forget all about the con artist someday, figuring she could never be a good enough person for her anyways.

Both women would face each other in the morning and continue to pretend that there was nothing happening between them.

Maybe someday things would be different but for now, they could not bear their souls to each other.


	5. Time to Make Things Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mariah promised she would move back in. Tessa is prepared to fix everything in their relationship that was broken when she confessed to committing blackmail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a small conclusion to the entire work, or more or less just Tessa putting the scrapbook together and waiting for Mariah to come back home.

**_Present Day_ **

Tessa slid the last picture into the scrapbook, sighing to herself as she recalled the memories she associated with the photo.

“San Francisco, everyone should see it at least once.” speaking against the empty apartment as she waited for Mariah to return home. She would be here at any moment.

She knows making a cheesy scrapbook wasn’t going to automatically win back Mariah’s trust, or affection. But as she flipped the pages of the book and saw the picture they took at the lake, at the movie theatre, and at the bachelorette party, she hoped Mariah would remember all the fun times they’ve had together and all the love they shared, even when things were too complicated to admit it was there. She even hoped Mariah would remember the bad times too because while Tessa has screwed up a lot and she knows it, she also wanted her to remember how every single time the two have managed to repair any damage caused. It was as if they were soul mates and the universe kept putting them together and healing their spirits because they were made for each other.

Tessa knows of course that she can’t keep doing this, continuing her ways was obviously toxic to both her and Mariah but, as hard as she’s trying, there was still a long way to go. She knows blackmailing Sharon and the other women was despicable since the moment she found the surveillance footage and for that she was sorry. What she wasn’t sorry for though was the fact that now both Crystal and Mariah were safe, the people demanding the $20,000 were never going to come near either of them again. Although Tessa did feel guilty about lying once again to the woman she loves about getting rid of the money and the flash drive, she figured this was the last lie she would have to tell. She would keep the money just in case another situation ever arose in which she would need it to keep her loved ones safe and the other flash drive, well she would need that just in case Mariah told the truth to the murder crew. Not that she would be able to blame her if she did, since Sharon was her mother, but both of them were now at risk for legal ramifications should the police find out the identity of the murderers. The surveillance tape might be able to protect them, and if meant telling Mariah one more lie would keep her safe, so be it. After this whole situation was over, Tessa vowed to never pull a stunt like this again. She would do her best to ensure Mariah knew she loved her to the fullest. Who knows what the next weeks have in store for them but, in the end they would be okay. Tessa was going to do everything in her power to make things right-

* _knock knock_ * a familiar hand pounded on the door of apartment #8

Starting now…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you again to everyone who read this and supported this all the way to the end! Being the first multi-chapter work I've ever done/the first work I've posted on here, I appreciate all of it. This one ended up being so much fun to make and gave me a chance to explore other elements in writing (I never really do humor, fluff or romance) so that was cool too. I already have some other stuff planned and can't wait to keep going on this platform.


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